Curriculum Intent

At Istead Rise, we aim for our PSHE curriculum to contribute to our school’s vision to enable pupils to become tolerant individuals, who lead healthy lifestyles and make a positive, productive contribution to society in the future. We wish to support our pupils' personal and social development and to give them the life skills to tackle moral, social and cultural issues in our ever-changing society and global community. Our curriculum introduces children to a wide range of topics relating to physical and mental health, wellbeing, safeguarding and healthy relationships and we place a strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health. Through the exploration of Mindfulness, we encourage children to be aware of their emotions and connect with their senses. By exposing pupils at Istead Rise to a wide range of concepts and experiences, we hope that they will be equipped with the knowledge, skills and strategies to live healthy, safe and responsible lives. 

Curriculum Implementation

At Istead Rise we follow the JIGSAW programme of study for PSHE, which aims to support the development of the “whole child” by introducing them to a range of topics and by deepening their understanding of these as they move through the school. Each term begins with a shared assembly to stimulate the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural curiosity. These assemblies introduce the following themes:

·         Being Me in My World 

·         Celebrating Difference (including anti-bullying) 

·         Dreams and Goals 

·         Healthy Me 

·         Relationships 

·         Changing Me (including Sex Education) 

Lessons are taught weekly across the school and teachers regularly adapt lessons to meet the specific needs of pupils in their class. PSHE lessons also offer opportunities for the children to broaden their understanding of the school’s core values: Independence, Respect, Perseverance and Self-Reflection as these are a key theme throughout the Jigsaw programme School staff are able to identify issues relevant to the school’s local community and teachers will tackle these issues during PSHE lessons, these include but are not limited to: road safety and internet safety.

Children’s learning is evidenced in various ways and are not exclusively recorded through written work. We believe that class discussions are an important part of PSHE as they enable children to learn skills needed to form an opinion or view about something in a safe environment . By exposing children to discussions, they are able to learn invaluable social skills and feel confident when speaking to other people. Teachers will assess children’s learning based on their ability to demonstrate their understanding of a particular topic.

Our PSHE programme helps our children to strengthen  their understanding of their world and enhance their ability to communicate their feelings to others in a healthy way. We want all children to learn to value themselves, respect others, appreciate differences and feel confident and informed as a British citizen.

Curriculum Impact

By the time children leave our school they will: 

• demonstrate kindness and respect towards themselves and others

• have the courage and ability to try new things, challenge themselves and persevere  

• show determination and resilience in their learning

• take responsibility for their actions 

• have a good understanding of how to stay safe, healthy and how to develop good relationships  

• have an appreciation of what it means to be a positive member of a diverse, multicultural society 

• will recognise and apply the British Values of Democracy, Tolerance, Mutual Respect, Rule of Law and Liberty

• be able to approach a range of real life situations and apply their skills and attributes to help navigate themselves through modern life

• appreciate difference and diversity

 Assessment within PSHE lessons, will ensure that pupils are building on their skills and knowledge over time. This will be measured by the:

• progress from a child's starting point or from the last point of statutory assessment.

• attainment at each point of statutory assessment. 

 Pupil’s progress will be recognised through recognition within the classroom and being awarded certificates. The PSHE leader will monitor the subject through discussion with pupils, gathering evidence of written activities, monitoring displays and through ongoing discussion with colleagues.